Mar. 30, 2013

Loading Photo Galleries ...

Related Links

South Burlington
Senior forward

• The Player: Playing with a broken hand through the latter stages of the playoffs, Craig had key goals in the semifinal and title-game victories, offense the Rebels needed from one of their top playmakers. Craig, a strong catch-and-release shooter, finished with 20 goals and 19 assists for a total of 39 points, good for second behind Tommy Royer.

• Coach Sean Jones on Craig: “He was our blood and guts guy. He wanted the puck in critical situations and he played through nagging injuries. He sacrificed a lot for us.”

Avery Steele

Colchester
Soph. forward

• The Player: Seeing marked improvement in clutch situations, Steele scored a team-best 25 goals while handing out 15 assists, finishing second on the Lakers with 40 points. Steele recently decided to attend Selects Academy at South Kent School in Connecticut in the fall.

• Coach Greg Murray on Steele: “He’s the best skater I’ve ever had. He puts the puck where he wants to nine times out of 10. He spends hours upon hours shooting at a net. … This year he became a guy we counted on to provide us with timely goals.”

Jackson Tucker

Northfield
Junior forward

• The Player: Totaling 52 goals and 25 assists for D-II semifinalist Northfield, Tucker is a gifted and driven forward with blazing speed. Through three seasons, Tucker has 95 goals and 74 assists. He plans to return for his senior year at Northfield.

• Coach Paul Clayton on Tucker: “He (scored) against the best teams in the league and last year he struggled against those teams. … He goes as fast as he can all the time and he’s so competitive. He has that ‘it’ factor and he plays the game the right way.”

Shane O’Neill

U-32
Senior defense

• The Player: Acceleration set O’Neill apart from other defensemen in the Lake Division, where he was named player of the year after collecting 21 goals and 20 assists. He guided the Raiders to back-to-back Division II crowns. With one of his end-to-end rushes on display in the final, O’Neill tucked away the go-ahead goal.

(Page 2 of 2)

• Coach Dave Pickel on O’Neill: “His on-ice vision is great — he reads opponents’ offenses so well. He was one of the few players, if he made a mistake, he was fast enough to get back — that’s a rare commodity.

Justin Ward

Essex
Senior defense

• The Player: Returning to the Essex program after two years with the Glades, Ward was part of a defense that blanked opponents six times this winter. Ward also helped offensively, tallying seven goals and six assists for the Hornets, who fell in the Division I semifinals.

• Coach Bill O’Neil on Ward: “At one point he said to us, ‘thanks for taking me back.’ That was sort of the attitude he took. He was probably the captain without the ‘C’ on him. He’s so strong — he would control the corners and play with intensity.”

Zack Stewart

Burr and Burton
Senior goaltender

• The Player: Repeating as an All-State second-team selection, Stewart helped the Bulldogs reach the Division II title game, coming up with big performances throughout the winter. He finished with about a 2.1 goals-against average and a save percentage that hovered around .9 — similar numbers he posted as a junior.

• Coach Cory Herrington on Stewart: “He really held down the fort for us and had an outstanding senior campaign. And what’s really underrated about him is his stick stills. The way he could play the puck — like another defenseman out there.”